Originally from Delaware, Ti West is a horror director who rose to prominence in the mid to late 2000s. His feature film debut was 2005’s The Roost, followed by 2007’s Trigger Man and 2009’s House of the Devil. Between 2011-2013, he directed The Innkeepers and The Sacrament and segments for V/H/S and The ABCs of Death. Midway into the decade, he directed episodes of TV shows like Scream: The TV Series, Wayward Pines, and The Exorcist. In late 2020, A24 announced they would be producing Ti West’s latest horror film, his first in nine years. Principal photography took place from February to March 2021, primarily on New Zealand’s North Island at a farm in Fordell. For the main cast, they hired Mia Goth, Jenna Ortega, Brittany Snow, Scott Mescudi, Martin Henderson, and Owen Campbell. After premiering at South by Southwest, X hit theaters in March 2022.
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Synopsis
Set in 1979, aspiring porn actress Maxine (Mia Goth) goes on a road trip with her boyfriend/producer Wayne (Martin Henderson). Along with Maxine and Wayne, there’s Bobby-Lynne (Brittany Snow), Jackson Hole (Scott Mescudi), RJ (Owen Campbell), and Lorraine (Jenna Ortega). He managed to secure a deal with local farmer Howard (Stephen Ure) to use his guest house as production space. Howard demands they don’t engage with his wife Pearl (Mia Goth), who sneaks around to spy on them. It turns out Pearl is jealous of how the cast & crew are youthful while she’s old and frail. As night approaches, Pearl starts killing off the cast & crew one by one, her husband being complicit. As the body count rises, the unsuspecting victims are put through the wringer as they struggle to survive. Who will manage to escape, and who will be the next victim?
Review
Ever since I first saw the trailer for X, I immediately knew it would be great, and it was. Ti West perfectly captures the look of a low-budget genre film from the 1970s like The Texas Chain Saw Massacre. While it doesn’t have the raw documentary style of Tobe Hooper’s classic, it retains a similar down-and-dirty feel. In a time when most modern horror films have gotten soft, X goes for the jugular to shock the audience. The film has plenty of blood, guts, and T&A, similar to what you’d see in a vintage exploitation picture. Rather than being excessive, the violence is effectively used to complement the more tension-filled scenes. Even before the horrors start, there’s an ever-present sense of dread, where you feel like something’s going to happen. It all builds to an unnervingly gruesome climax where it seems like anything can happen.
Everyone in the cast is excellent, with Mia Goth standing out for playing the dual roles of Maxine and Pearl. As Maxine, she’s spunky, ambitious, and somewhat self-absorbed, but as Pearl, she’s terrifying and grotesque yet rather tragic. Brittany Snow is also entertaining as the narcissistic Bobby-Lynne, who thinks she’s better than everyone else. On top of delivering a now-iconic screaming face, the young Jenna Ortega shines as the naive but ambitious Lorraine Day. While providing plenty of shocks, the film also talks about aging and how young people can waste their youth. As horrifying as she is, you can’t help but sympathize with how Pearl resents the wastefulness of the younger folk. The film has some slow spots at an hour and 46 minutes, but they’re not enough to ruin the experience. Overall, X earns its place as one of the best horror films of 2022.
Buy X from Amazon: https://amzn.to/3rcBiiM.
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